Batter Steps out of Batters Box

[KrazyRay]

Little League. There's a scared batter facing a pitcher who throws high velocity. He bails out of the batters box as the pitcher is releasing the ball. Is it balls and strikes as usual or is he out for leaving the box?

[noumpere]

Under OBR (which LL is based on), there's no "automatic strike" nor "automatic out" for leaving the box during a pitch.

 

I'll leave it to others to provide any specific LL rule to the contrary.

[Tborze]

The strike zone definitely gets bigger!

[Senor Azul]

Little League rule 6.02(b)—The batter shall not leave that position in the batter’s box after the pitcher comes to Set Position, or starts a windup.

PENALTY:  If the pitcher pitches, the umpire shall call “Ball” or “Strike” as the case may be.

[maven]

So LL is no different from all other codes: call the pitch. As Tborze implies, benefit of any doubt on borderline pitches to F1 (call it a strike).

[SeattleSooner]

4 hours ago, KrazyRay said:

Little League. There's a scared batter facing a pitcher who throws high velocity. He bails out of the batters box as the pitcher is releasing the ball. Is it balls and strikes as usual or is he out for leaving the box?

Wow!  What timing.  Came on here to get guidance on something similar that happened to me yesterday.  Here's the scenario:  Little League Minors Division baseball, first year kid pitch so 8-9 year old players.  I'm the homeplate ump.  As the pitch is released, had a batter moving closer to the plate where his body is hanging over the plate and in the middle of the strike zone.  Some how, some way the ball didn't hit him.  He did this a few times in the same at bat.  If the ball would have hit him while standing over the strike zone, what's the call?

[noumpere]

2 minutes ago, SeattleSooner said:

If the ball would have hit him while standing over the strike zone, what's the call?

Dead ball strike.

 

From another thread:

Here's the OBR rule:

 

(2) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting
to hit unless (A) The ball is in the strike zone when it
touches the batter, or (B) The batter makes no attempt to
avoid being touched by the ball;
(2) If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter,
it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to
avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when
it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes
no attempt to avoid being touched.

[Aging_Arbiter]

On ‎4‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 9:32 AM, KrazyRay said:

Little League. There's a scared batter facing a pitcher who throws high velocity. He bails out of the batters box as the pitcher is releasing the ball. Is it balls and strikes as usual or is he out for leaving the box?

Especially with the 'lil fellas', you have to realize that this may be the first time that someone besides Daddy is throwing a ball at them, and it might hurt if they get hit.  Unlike upper levels where testosterone may cause big Johnny to step out (in defiance), at this age, you have a scared lil' Johnny.  In my local league, I usually treat this like an injury.  I'll call the coach down from 3B, and try to calm him down.  Yes, if he continues, the zone may get a little larger.  But the bottom line is that we are trying to get lil' Johnny to be a part of and enjoy the game.  Maybe he's in a LL that's in the north, maybe they didn't have many (if any) practices due to weather, before the season started. Now you have a man-child staring him down like he's tonight's dinner.  He's just scared.